African Women's Soccer News- All Africa Games Qualifier,Ghana v Nigeria Fireworks

ALL AFRICA GAMES WOMEN'S SOCCER QUALIFIER

14.05	All-Africa Games Qualifier2nd Round, 2nd Leg	Gaborone Botswana v South Africa (1-0 Goal Aggregate)
14.05	All-Africa Games Qualifier2nd Round, 2nd Leg	Accra Ghana v Nigeria (1-1 Goal Aggregate)
14.05	All-Africa Games Qualifier2nd Round, 2nd Leg	Harare Zimbabwe v Angola (1-1 Goal Aggregate)

NIGERIA

Super Falcons Keen to Avoid Unwanted Record

Nigeria's current generation of Super Falcons are desperate to avoid the unwanted record of being the first class of players to fail to qualify for a major tournament.

Last Sunday's 1-1 draw against Ghana's Black Queens, in the first leg of qualifying for the All Africa Games, has left the six-time African champions contemplating the real possibility of elimination.If they fail to overturn the result in Accra next week, they would set the unwanted record of becoming the first Nigerian women's side to fail to qualify for a major tournament in the history of women's football in Nigeria.

Goal keeper Tochukwu Oluehi

It is a possibility that fills goalkeeper Tochi Oluehi with dread.

"It will not happen in my time," she said, "There is no way we will not qualify. The first leg was a very difficult game and we conceded an easy goal a few minutes after we scored.

"But it will not be in our time that we will be the first team not to qualify for a competition, especially one that is played in Africa."

Oluehi points to history favouring Nigeria after a similar result when the Falcons also drew 1-1 with the Black Queens in the final qualifying tie for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

The Nigerians girls also played out a 1-1 draw in the return fixture in Accra, and went through on penalties.

"We will not even let it get to penalties. When we get there, our target will be to score and win the game before it gets to that.

"They are a good team, but we believe we are better, and we are not even thinking of not qualifying."

The Daily Champion

Women’s association to honour Nigerian sports personalities

The Association of Women Football League Clubs Owners has concluded plans to honour some sports personalities in the country for their contributions to the development of female football in Nigeria.

A statement by Debo Adeoye, Project Coordinator, the Support for Super Falcons Project, said on Tuesday in Ibadan that sporting men and women who had done the country proud would be decorated but stopped short of saying where and when the event would hold.

Adeoye said that the award ceremony would be part of the association’s continued mobilisation for the Super Falcons’ FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.

``Among those to be honoured are the immediate past chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Sani Lulu and the incumbent Aminu Maigari.

``Also to receive awards are former NFA Technical Committee Chairman, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi and renowned lawyer, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN),’’ it said.

According to the statement, the contributions made by these sports personalities to the development of Nigerian female football cannot be quantified.

Others to be honoured are Gov. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State for ``raising Sunshine Queens from death to glory’’ and Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State for financing the NITO Queens and TEWO Queens.

The rest are Chief Gloria Shoda Labara, financier, Labara Queens, H.N. Obazurike, Eze Ndigbo of Lagos, owner of TOKAS Queens, and Victor Olajide the owner of Garden Queens.



Afrique Avenir